This past week I was tasked with surveying for this newspaper: there was no limit to what the survey question could be. I immediately thought of all the boring, meaningless questions I could ask my peers. Things like, “Which pizza topping is better?” or “Do you play any sports?” Questions like this require minimal thought for the asker and the answerer. I made it my mission to try and ask a question that meant more than just pepperoni or sausage.
Students 9-12 and a handful of teachers were surveyed to provide a total of 50 answers.
Question
What is more important to you: justice, revenge, or forgiveness?
Results
Justice- 46%
Revenge- 8%
Forgiveness- 46%
The results were somewhat shocking to me. A perfect tie between justice and forgiveness! This is incredibly interesting to me. Those surveyed were not asked to elaborate on their answers, but some did. I heard discussions related to flaws in our nation’s court system, personal moral judgment, and long-term outcomes. People really thought about the question presented to them, some taking an extensive amount of time to make sure they gave their true answer.
It was interesting to see how this question instantly filled the minds of those surveyed with the idea of a heinous crime. Anything from the slaughter of loved ones to child abuse. I never intended the question to primarily pertain to such things, but I can see why the three options would call evil crimes to mind. I think many who chose justice did so because of this thought. Those who chose forgiveness were probably thinking more of long-term happiness. It is easier to move on and be happy than dwell in someone’s wrongdoing; that type of idea. As for those who chose revenge… they were either joking or not joking at all. No further comment.
